Advice needed please, a what shouold i do?

vick

vick

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Without going into to much detail, My mare has kicked someone today who she's known for 6 months. Someone thats cared for her and i thought she trusted. I thought her protective behaviour over her foal who's 6 months old had subsided a little.

When i bought her, i bought her mainly for her tempament, as i have young children (shes a cob big enough for me to ride but really for the children) Unfortunatly i bought her in foal not knowing. She never showed any nasty behaviour before the foal was born. She has buck kicked / kicked out 5 times since the foal was born, once missing my head by inches and she's got two of my friends. This time it being worse its ended in stitches, x-rays and bruising thats appauling. It dose'nt bear thinking about if it had been higher up his knee would have shattered and if he had been bent down, a head injury could have been fatal. She was nibbing at the hay net one second, that he was tying up, she then turned and booted with both legs. There's no reason for it.
If anyone can give any advice or has had any experience in the following please reply.

Can mares go back to being nice once there foals are weaned?

I spoke to a vet today and he said maybe thats her Normal temprement, Maybe the pregnancy chilled her out a bit, (as i've only ever known her in foal) The 1st instance happened when foalie was 3 weeks old.

The other thing is if i give her a chance once the foal is weaned, the only place i can put her is on common land, which is busy with people, i would'nt forgive myself if she hurt anyone else.

Ive grown very attached to her, but the only soultion and safe thing to do seems to sell her
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Goodness what an awful situation for you all
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Might i be worth trying a hormonal supplement? I'm not really up on it I'm afraid, but they seem to work for some.

My gut instinct would be to wean the foal as soon as possible to get her hormones back to normal. Then to get her into some sort of work routine.

In the mean time treat her as a vindictive kicker ie tie outside the stable, don't do anything around her when she is loose etc. Do you have anything available where you could cross tie her?

That is how I would approach it anyway.
 
Once i had got over the shock, i chased after her making nosies. When she went for my friend she got the harsh voice and a clout (both times)
 
Wean the foal then see what she is like if she is still temperamental but was sweet when in foal speak to the vet about hormone therapy or putting marbles in as can help a lot.
 
All the mares I have known have only been foal proud for a couple of weeks at the most and none of them have kicked out at me. However I have know a few horses that show dominnant behaviour around food. My friend's well behaved gelding would kick out at anyone that came near when he was eating his dinner.

Has your mare only kicked at food/hay time?
 
Some mares get over protective when they have a foal. I would say when you wean them she will go back to being a nice quiet cob. My friend's old mare was lovely nice and quiet but as soon as she had a foal, she grew horns and she had 3, so we all knew what to expect.
 
She's kicked once when she was tied up, once when she was being led, the other times have been when she was loose in the field. (psssssst what does cross tie mean?)
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She's kicked once when she was tied up, once when she was being led, the other times have been when she was loose in the field. (psssssst what does cross tie mean?)
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Cross tied horse below
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preferably with more open space around really. There is just less chance of the horse kicking you if you stay at shoulder/ girth level.

 
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Ahh a rope each side, thank you.
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Now why couldn't I thinbk of that simple a way to describe it lol
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If it's the pony in your avatar is she a haffy?
 
I think, may be wrong, but aren't they a bit notorious for being erm...single minded?

Only teasing, it sounds like you have had a really rough time with her. That's the last thing you need when you buy a new horse. She must have been nice when you bought her. Must have been a big trauma really, in foal, new surroundings, new people.

Is there any chance you can find somewhere private to graze her until her issues are solved?

Just keep safe and treat her like live electrics until she gives you reason to start trusting her.

She probably has been quite traumatised by the whole thing. Might be her first foal too. I always try to think about these things from the horses point of view.
 
Ah. A friend of mine was mucking a haffy out, just as he had done every day for months, and no one knows what happened (as he was fairly dazed when I found him on the floor) but he ended up being booted out of the stall and had obv had a good kicking/trampling as his whole lower half was black and blue for weeks). Wonder if its a breed trait?
 
Not really got any other options of grazing, i have moved from common land to private grazing to have the foal, and i planned to take her back for weaning. Little chaps not allowed on until a year old.
Yes it must of been traumatic for her, she was in bad nic when i got her. Bless her..the cow bag!
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My head says no, my heart says yes to keeping him! With two small children it will be hard i will see how we go. Seperate private grazing would be really difficult for me as im struggling with visiting one muddy field each day, to feed and poo pick, with to children in tow. Poor kids!
 
Too many people take far to many liberties with horses and then wonder why accidents happen. This horse has given you more than enough warning not to put your self in harms way .Yet you and your friends have persisted. I am glad no one is actually dead. You need to seriously reexamine how you handle horses.
 
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